Assassin's Creed: The Novel
by A. Hayes
Summary: In short, if AC (the first one) were made into a book. I'm only posting what I've written so far and I won't be continuing (hence why chapter 4 is so short).
1. Prologue

My head hurts. My eyes are playing tricks on me. I hear a voice but it's deep and distorted, I can't understand what it is saying, can't tell who is even speaking. I'm freaking out. I'm surrounded by women without faces; they won't leave me alone. My vision is blurry and keeps shifting when I move. It's painful but still I try to run from it.

I fall to the ground, bumping into a couple of people. They gasp and move away, I get up again but everything is still the same.

I feel heavy. This whole thing feels wrong, I feel like I'm going to be sick—like I'm burning up from the inside. Someone. Someone get me out. Help me.

"We've got a problem!" I hear a female voice speak. It's clear, loud, understandable above all the din. I don't know where it's coming from, it doesn't sound like it should be here. "I can't anchor him to the memory. Too much psychological trauma, he's rejecting the treatment. Retreating." What is she talking about? I don't understand.

"Desmond," a male voice now. How does he know my name? Who is he? "I need you to try and relax." Yeah. Right. When I don't even know what's going on?

"I'm going to try and stabilize him."

"Focus. Listen to the sound of my voice. Recognize that what you're seeing isn't real, just a picture of the past." What the hell is this guy saying to me? I think I've gone crazy. "It can't hurt you," he continues, but he can't tell what I'm feeling.

"Damn it! It's not working!"

"Give it a moment, Miss Stillman. He'll adjust. The first time is never easy." First time for what? What isn't easy? What have these people done to me?!

"We're losing him!"

"That's enough, Miss Stillman!"

"We need to pull him out. _Now._"

"Alright, Desmond, we're going to try and bring you out now." Bring me out from where?!

And suddenly I start feeling better. The world around me starts shifting colors faster but I feel myself being pulled away, getting lighter, until I realize I must have been dreaming or something. But now I wish I wasn't.


	2. Chapter 1

I bolt up after a screen across my face retracts, I'm on a table with weird waves in it, metal circles against my spine. The two voices must have been coming from these two people. A blonde woman and a grey haired old man.

"I told you he'd be fine." The guy says.

"Bastards!" I spit in his face.

"Now, now," he tuts, "I just saved your life."

"Saved my life?! You kidnap me, you strap me into that..._thing._"

"Animus," he tells me, like I care. "It's an Animus."

"I don't even know you people! Why're you doing this to me?" He walks away from the 'Animus' then turns to face me as I ask this.

"You have information we need, Mr. Miles."

"Information? I'm a _bartender _for Christ sakes, what do you want me do to? Teach you how to mix a martini?!"

"We know who you are..._what _you are."

That's impossible but I'm still caught off guard, and my response is not at all convincing. "I—I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't play coy with me, there isn't time. You're an assassin. And whether you realize it or not, you've got something my employers want...locked away in that head of yours." He continues pacing back and forth in front of me.

How do these people know what I am? I've been so careful. "But I'm not an assassin." Oh, who am I kidding. They know. "...not anymore."

"Yes, your file indicated as much. Something about...an escape." I perk up at this. How much do these people know about me? Have they been stalking me? "Most fortunate for us."

I can't take it anymore. If anyone here is playing coy, it's this asshole, not me. "What do you want from me?"

"For you to do as you're told. The Animus will allow us to locate what we need. Once we have it, you'll be free to go."

Something about his tone, and the whole situation in general, tells me I'm not ever getting out of here. But I'll play along anyways. "I am _not _going back in there." I jab a finger at the Animus accusingly. It's the reason I'm here afterall, at least partially.

"Then..._we'll _induce acoma, and continue our work. When we're done, you'll be left to die." I stare in disbelief. This guy is actually that monstrous? He looks like he could be, I suppose. His tone isn't like he's bullshitting me, either, so I better not take any chances. "Truth be told, the only reason you're still concious is because this approach saves us time."

I shake my head, unable to silence my thoughts of him. "You're insane!"

And he just continues talking like I never even spoke. "So, what is it Mr. Miles? Live or die?" After a pause in which I don't answer, he assumes I've backed down. "Lie down."

I sigh, but do, though hesitantly.

"A wise decision."

The screen slides back over my face but it isn't close. I can still turn my head, able to the blonde working the computer at the end of the Animus. She creeps me out almost more than the guy does, just watching silently as this goes on in front of her. The only thing she's said was possibly an 'are you okay?' right when I came out of the machine, but I can't even be sure. Best to assume she didn't, seeing she doesn't care. Not really. I'm their experiment, their play thing, not even a human being here. A test subject. Ugh. I think I might be sick again.

"Woah." A menu pops up with some sort of logo. This is quite...advanced. There are things loading on the screen but I can see right through to the cieling of the room. My curiousity gets the better of me. "Where am I?" A bunch of bars pop up, the center one with an arrow above it, accompanied with the words 'Memory Locked.'

"You're inside the Animus," he says while partially leaning over me. I try to ignore how creepy that is.

"...which is...?"

"It's a projector that renders genetic memories in three dimensions."

"Genetic memory..." I feel so stupid, needing to ask for more explanation to everything he says. But I might as well learn what I can.

"Seems you'll need a bit of a tutorial." He sighs. "Very well." A picture of a brain comes up now, rotating to show the whole thing. "We'll start simple. What is a memory, Mr. Miles?"

"It's the..." thing where you know what it is but don't know how to put it into words. "...recollection of a past event." That sounds smart enough.

The image changes to a human with outstretched arms. "Specific to the individual remembering the event." Not smart enough, apparently. But I don't care that much.

"Yeah, sure." I figure I have to say something to keep him going.

He scoffs, probably knowing my motive. "What if I told you that the human body not only housed an individuals memory but the memories of his ancestors, as well?" I'd think we'd need bigger brains for that. "Genetic memory, if you will." The image changes to a flying bird of some sort. "Migration, hibernation, reproduction! How do animals know when and where to go? What to do?"

Okay, now he's bullshitting me. "That's just animal instinct."

He scoffs again. "Now you're arguing semantics, Mr. Miles. Whatever you call it, the fact remains: these creatures hold knowledge absent the requisite first hand experience. I've spent the past thirty years trying to understand why." The bird morphs into DNA bars, "I discovered something most fascinating. Our DNA functions as an archive," he takes a deep breath, like he's giving some huge important speech. Maybe he is...in his mind. "It contains not only genetic instructions passed down from previous generations but memories, as well. The memories of our ancestors."

If he's not bullshitting me, I think I'm catching on. "And the Animus lets you decode and read these DNA files."

"Precisely."

The image changes back to the first one, with the long DNA strip and the 'Memory Locked.' And for the first time, I hear the woman speak. "But there's a problem. This is the specific memory we're trying to access." The screen zooms way over to the right, the arrows stopping above a weird trophy looking sillohuette. "Unfortunatly, when we try to open the memory, your mind withdraws. You lack the confidence to step into your ancestors body. That's what happened earlier. You got knocked out of the target memory and pushed back to a more stable state."

"Why?"

"It's your subconcious. It's resisting. We found similar reactions among patients who undergo hypnosis to relive traumatic events." Patients? There are more people here? "They can't jump directly into the specific memory, they need to be eased in. Even then there can be problems."

"So how do we fix it?"

"We find a memory you _can _synchronize with, and then move forward from there. You'll get used to it." The screen now goes way over to the left. "This is the closest we can get, so it's where we'll have to start." Looks pretty far, if you ask me. But it's not like we're pressed for time or anything. "I'm uploading the tutorial program now." She walks away to go to the computer and starts pressing keys, and suddenly I'm whisked back into that world of weird, but it's much more stable and I feel fine.

* * *

I'm standing amongst a bunch of white and blue, I can't tell how far I can go, how high the 'cieling' is, nor if there's floor, though I am standing. A robotic female voice comes on.

"Warning, data stream unstable. Attempting to restore synchronization." A pause. "Hello, subject seventeen, this tutorial has been prepared in order to better acclimate you to the Animus' control system. Instructions will follow shortly."

In the momentary silence, I look down and see I'm in white, with black pants and brown boots. I'm wearing a hood and have a thick belt around my waist, with many things attached to it, including a sword. I have another weapon of some sort on my back, and throwing knives on my shoulder. My left hand is missing it's third finger in order for a blade, hidden by the gaunlet around my wrist, to whip out and back in without being noticed.

And then the female voice instructs me through several things, getting me familiar with moving around, grabbing and throwing, knowing who is my enemy and who is my ally, where I can hide, how I can blend, how to stealth assassinate, and even how to use something called Eagle Vision, a sixth sense that allowed my ancestors to 'see peoples intentions.'

Once the tutorial is complete, the world around me takes shape and I am put into a memory.


	3. Chapter 2

"Wait! There must be another way. This one need not die." There's an old man standing in our way and we do not have the time to make him promise to be quiet. I come up behind him and shove him to his knees, stabbing him before he can utter a word.

"An excellent kill," Malik's brother tells me. "Fortune favors your blade."

He is too new, too naive, to know any better. "Not fortune. Skill. Watch a while longer and you might learn something."

Malik puts a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Indeed. He'll teach you how to disregard everything the Masters taught us."

"How would you have done it?"

"I would not have drawn attention to us. I would not have taken the life of an innocent. What I would have done is follow the Creed."

Malik clearly has not payed enough attention. "Nothing is true, everything is permitted. Understand these words. It matters not how we complete our task, only that it is done."

"But this is not the way of—"

"My way is better."

He looks at me with slight menace before turning to his brother, then tosses up his arms, giving in the argument. "I will scout ahead. Try not to dishonour us further." He leaves and his brother comes closer.

"What is our mission? My brother will say nothing to me, only that I should be honoured to have been invited."

"The Master believes the Templars have found something beneath the temple mount."

His eyes light up. "Treasure?"

"I do not know. All that matters is the Master considers it important, else he would not have asked me to retreive it."

We continue forward to catch up to Malik, hopping across wooden beams and climbing a ladder. A guard stands facing the open entrance and I stab him from behind, muffling his cry then dropping him to the ground.

We go through the entrance and stop.

"There," Malik says, pointing across the giant stone room with his finger, "that must be the Arc."

"The...Arc...of the Covenent?" His brother asks.

This is ridiculous. "Don't be silly. There's no such thing. It's just a story."

"Then what is it?"

I have no intention of answering, but just as well, Malik suddenly ducks down a little. "Quiet! Someone's coming."

A bald man in knight's armour walks in, accompanied by two men. His accent is strong. "I want this through this gate before sunrise. The sooner we possess it, the sooner we can turn our attention to those jackals at Masyaf."

Without even looking, I know who he is. "Robert de Sable. His life is mine."

Malik turns to me. "No. We were asked to retrieve the treasure and deal with Robert only if neccesary."

Is the man blind? "He stands between us and it. I'd say it's nessecary."

"Discretion, Altaïr."

"You mean cowardice. That man is our greatest enemy. And here we have a chance to be rid of him."

"You have already broken two tennants of our Creed. Now you would break the third. Do not compromise the Brotherhood."

"I am your superior, in both title and ability! You should know better than to question me."

He says nothing, of course, tongue rightfully silenced behind his ungrateful lips. I head to the edge of our stony perch and go down both ladders, when I get to the floor, Malik and his brother have followed.

"Hold, Templars!" Robert, his two men, and the two that were already in the room turn. "You are not the only ones with business here."

Robert grins. "Ah, well this explains my missing man. And what is it you want?" He folds his arms, playing coy. He knows what I want.

"Blood." I lunge at him, Malik lunging for me, crying "No!" but missing, going for his neck with my hidden blade, but somehow he was expecting this and he grabs my wrist, punching my nose then grabbing my throat and keeping me at bay, pushing me farther back when I still try to get him.

"You know not the things in which you meddle in, assassin. I spare you only that you may return to your Master and deliver a message. Your Holy Land is lost to him and his, he should flee now, while he has the chance. Stay, and all of you will die." He grabs a fistful of fabric and tosses me sharply away from him, I crash into what is left of a wall and go straight through, grunting as I hit a small staircase and wall collapses, preventing my return.

From behind the wall I hear Robert. "Men! Two arms! Kill the assassins!" Swords start clinking but I'm already climbing boards and pillars, making my way to the ledge across the room, where I saw an exit. I jump up a wall and go down the passage, climbing another, much higher, wall, and am blinded by daylight as I reach the top.

I have found my way out, but dread the news I must bring to my Master.

* * *

I am back in Masyaf, on my way to Al Mualim when Raoul approaches me, tossing his arms in the air.

" Altaïr! You have returned!"

"Raoul."

"It is good to see you're unharmed. I trust your mission was a success."

Unable to bear the bitter taste of defeat on my tongue, I instead ask him, "Is the Master in his tower?"

"Yes, yes, burried in his books as always. No doubt he expects you."

"Thanks, Brother."

"Safety and peace, Altaïr."

"On you as well."

I make my way up from the village to his tower, it is easy to get there but you can get lost in all the hills if you do not know your way. I gingerly push people aside if they get in my way, my pace is quickening as I get closer despite my not actually wanting to go to him.

I make my way up the final stretch of hill and am about to enter the tower when Abast stops me. He pushes away from the wall with a smug look on his face. "Ah, he returns at last."

"Abast."

"Alas, where are the others? Did you ride ahead hoping you would be the first one back? I know you are loathed to share the glory."

I have no plan to respond but he picks up on this silence too quickly. "Silence is just another form of a sin."

I do not want to deal with him. "Have you nothing better to do?"

"I bring word from the Master. He waits for you in the library." He leans forward then, hushing his voice. "Best hurry, no doubt you are eager to put your tongue to his boot."

"Another word and I'll put my blade to your throat."

"There will be plenty of time for that later, _Brother._"

He leans back against the wall, leaving me with a sour taste and now I find myself almost wanting to turn and leave. But I can't now. So I go up the path and into the tower, going up a staircase and turning right, up another staircase and into an open room with shelves of books and a table in the middle. Walking up to this table is stressing, almost painful, my footsteps on the stone floor are loud against my ears and I want to drown it all out. Never before have I failed him. Never. And now I have lost two men, the treasure, and exposed myself to Robert de Sable. My punishment will surely be great.

Our Brotherhood symbol is engraved on the floor and I keep away from it, standing on it is like being frozen in place, scrutinized. At least the floor is the same throughout the building, has nothing to judge me with.

I stop in front of the table and look at the man who has been my Master for years. His cloak is black and his skin is paler than mine as he's always inside now. His beard is long and white, one eye is blind and the other is brown and harsh.

" Altaïr."

"Master." I bow slightly, managing to stay calm on the outside though inside is quite the opposite.

"Come forward. Tell me of your mission."

I come forward.

"I trust you have recovered the Templars treasure."

I still do not want to say it, the taste is bitter and getting worse. "There was some trouble, Master. Robert de Sable was not alone."

"When does our work ever go as expected? It's our ability to adapt that makes us who we are."

His good mood gives me hope. Maybe he will pardon me, just this once. "This time it was not enough."

"What do you mean?"

"I have failed you." My throat burns from the words. I have never before said them and should not have a reason to now. It was because Malik did not listen to me. Did not trust my judgement. Had he done what I asked, everything would have gone perfectly.

Al Mualim starts stepping around the table, getting tired of my evasiveness. "The treasure?"

"Lost to us."

"And Robert?"

"Escaped."

"I send you, my _best _man, to complete a mission more important than any that has come before, and you return to me with nothing but apologies and excuses!"

"I did—"

"Do not speak! Not another word! This is not what I expected." He starts pacing. "We'll need to mount another force."

"I swear to you I'll find him. I'll go and—"

"No! You will do nothing! You've done enough." The silence between us is deafening, but the words he speaks next are like a daggar. "Where are Malik and Kadar?"

"Dead."

I see a flash of white out of the corner of my eye, stained with red. I turn and see Malik standing there, clutching a blood covered sleeve. "No," he says. "Not dead." He turns to Al Mualim just as his name is spoken. "I still live at least!"

"And your brother?"

I look away from the two of them, knowing the answer and unable to stand the pain in Malik's eyes. He shakes his head. "Gone." He turns to me. "Because of you!"

Instantly I become defiant. "Robert threw me from the room! There was no way back! Nothing I could do!"

"Because you would not heed my warning! All of this could have been avoided! And my brother...my brother would still be alive! Your arrogance nearly cost us victory today."

I see Al Mualim straighten slightly. "Nearly?"

He nodded once, slowly, gesturing absently with his hand. "I brought your favored fame to find...Here. Take it." A servant comes in carrying the very thing we went in for, a golden statue like thing about the size of a grown mans chest, an egg looking thing with four leaves surrounding it. "Though it seems like I've returned with more than just their treasure."

The servant goes behind Al Mualim and stands beside his desk with the Arc.

"Master!" A man runs in, arms almost flailing. "We are under attack! Robert de Sable has layed seige to Masyaf!"

"So, he seeks a battle." Al Maulim glares at the air. "Very well. I will not deny him. Go," he tells the man, "tell the others the fortess must be prepared." The man nods and runs off, leaving Malik and Al Mualim, who turns to me. "As for you, Altaïr, our discussion will have to wait. You must make fore the village; destroy these invaders. Drive them from our home."

I am secretly thankful for the interruption. "It will be done." He nods and I run out, down from the tower and into the village. Raoul comes running up and stops me.

" Altaïr, it's good you've come! We need your help."

"What's happened?"

"Templars." He gestures behind us. "They attacked the village; most of our people were able to get away. Most...but not all."

This is taking too long. Masyaf is down there being slayed while he tells me that exact thing. "What do you want me to do?"

"Distract the Templars. Keep them occupied while I rescue those still inside."

"As you wish."

I continue making my way down to the village but am cornered by three men. I pull out my sword and run at them full force, bringing blow after blow so fast that they have no time to counter. Once they are slayed I run further still. Two more block my path, one goes down easily, the other gets a hit but I counter his next move, joining him with his companions dead on the ground. And still more come.

One holding two people hostage goes down before he knows what happens, one kills an assassin before I can do the same to him, two more come, keeping me from killing another holding more hostage. I kill all three and in that time, I only get hit once. It is painful but I am too angry to care. The bitterness of failure has flared into a full on rage, Robert and his men did this to me. They made me fail. And still they rub it in, following me back to Masyaf. They will pay. They will all pay.

I get to the gates of Masyaf and slay the rest of the Templars, with some difficulty because of my wound. Just then someone calls for us to retreat, and I have no choice but to follow.

* * *

Once back at Al Mualim's tower, Raoul calls to me from his perch. " Altaïr, come. Al Mualim is not done with us yet."

I slowly make my way to the ladder that got Raoul up there. "Where are we going?"

"Up there." He points to somewhere even higher. "We have a surprise planned for our guests. Just do as I do. It should become clear soon enough."

I go up the ladder and find I have to climb another one. Then we are in the actual tower of Al Mualims tower, and Raoul and another man are standing on wooden platforms. Merely one board seperating them from a fall that would surely kill them.

There is a single empty one and he tells me to stand on it. I think he must be crazy but I obey without hesitation. Looking down, I see the little shapes that must be Robert and his men, and though it is very faint, Robert's voice drifts up to me.

"...return what you have stolen from me!"

"You've no claim to it, Robert." Al Mualim responds, from somewhere I can not see. "Take yourself from here before I am forced to thin your ranks further."

"You play a dangerous game!"

"I assure you, this is no game."

"So be it! Bring foward the hostage!" There is a litle movement below and I do not even need to look to know someone is bringing one of our people forward. I hear his cry and know he was just killed. What is Al Mualims plan?

"Your village lay in ruins and your stores are hardly endless!" Robert is saying. "How long before your fortress crumbles from within? How disciplined will your men remain when the stores have run dry and the food is gone?"

"My men do not fear death, Robert. They welcome it. And the rewards it brings." It is now that I understand the plan. He will have us jump to our deaths. A fitting end for me, this would be my punishment. But Raoul? And the other man?

"Good! Then they shall have it all around!"

Raoul whispers to me as quietly as he can. "Follow me, and do so without hesitation."

I realize this whole thing has been staged, but that does not make it any easier to accept.

"Show this fool knight what it is to have no fear!" Al Mualim declairs. "Go to God!"

Raoul jumps so I do the same, turning as I fall and landing on my back in a stack of hay. My bones shudder but I am relatively unscathed. It is a miracle. I pull myself from the hay and brush off, heading over to Raoul after hearing cries. He crouches beside the other man, holding his leg.

"Quiet," Raoul tells the man, "or the Templars will hear us." Now that he is quiet, Raoul turns to me. "I'll stay behind and tend to him. You'll have to go ahead without us. The ropes there will bring you to a trap we've set. Go and release it. Bring death upon our enemies."

And so I go to the cliff. Upon following the ropes, I see a skinny beam crossing the gaping chasm below, not even wide enough for me to use two feet. Holding my balance steady, I cross it slowly to be sure I don't loose my footing. Once safe on the other side I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. I jump onto a higher rock and see there are two more beams I have to cross, each longer than the last. They are wider, though, so I am confident enough to go faster.

I am now faced with the side of a mountain and the side of another tower. Looking up the tower, it is clear I must climb it and scaling it is no hard task. Once in the tower, through the metal bars on the floor I can see thick logs. I need to cut the supports to the wood panneling blocking it and they will fall right on Robert and his men. A touch of revenge, if only for me.

I let a smirk slide through as I pull out my sword, relishing in the sound it makes against its sheath. I then slice the middle support and let the logs do the rest.

Robert is unaware for a couple seconds, then, glancing back, he cries out "Fall back, men! Fall back!" And those who are not crushed by the logs flee after him. I scowl as I see him ride off to safety, the only one lucky enough to have a horse. But his men are dead. At least we have protected Masyaf.

* * *

"You did well, Altaïr." Al Mualim is telling me, once again in the confines of his tower. "Robert's force is broken. It shall be a long while before he troubles us again. Tell me. Do you know why it is you were successful?"

I have an answer but know him well enough that he does not want one. I stay quiet and he continues.

"You _listened._ Were it that you listened in Solomon's Temple, Altaïr, all of this would have been avoided."

"I did as I was asked." He holds up a hand to stop me from saying more.

"No! You did as you _pleased! _Malikus told me of the arrogance you displayed, the disregard for our ways." There were two men standing beside me I didn't even notice, and now they grab my arms tightly, pulling me taught. I struggle out of instinct, not even knowing what I'm struggling from.

"What are you doing?!"

"There are rules. We are nothing if we do not abide by the Assassiuns Creed. Three simple tennants." He walks up to me and snatches my chin, forcing my face up to look at him. "Which you seem to forget." I wrench my head from his grip and look away. "I will remind you. First and foremost, stay your blade—"

"—from the flesh of an innocent, I know." I just want this to be over with. But Al Mualim has another idea. He smacks me across the face for interupting, his eyes cold and cruel.

"And stay your tongue, unless I give you leave to use it. If you are so familiar with this tennant, then why did you kill the old man in the temple?" I say nothing, just look away again. He turns, his face right in mine. "He was innocent. He did not need to die." I turn my head the other way. "Your insolence knows no bounds. They come for your heart child, I swear I'll tear it from you with my own hands.

"The second tennant is that which gives us strength. Hide in plain sight. Let the people mask you such that you become one with the crowd. Do you remember? Because as I hear it, you chose to expose yourself, drawing attention before you struck!" I struggle a little, worried for what will come. He is enraged and I have never seen him like this. I try to bury the feeling but the truth is I'm a little scared for what this is leading up to.

"The third and final tennant, the worst of all your betrayals, never compromise the Brotherhood. Its meaning should be obvious. Your actions must never bring harm upon us, direct or indirect. Yet your selfish act beneath Jerusalem placed us all in danger! Worse still, you brought the enemy to our home! Every man we lost today was lost _because of you!_" He turns away, at first because I think he is so angry that he can't even look at me, but when he turns back, he is holding a daggar.

"I am sorry, truly I am, but I can not abide a traitor."

No. Oh God, no he's going to kill me. "I am not a traitor!"

He shakes his head, eyeing the blade the whole time. "Your actions indicate otherwise." He steps closer. "And so you leave me no choice." Another step. "Peace be upon you, Altaïr." And then he lunges. I feel the pain, the blood, the grasp of death. And then I am gone, into the blackness.


	4. Chapter 3

I hear the beep of the machine and realize I'm being pulled out of the Animus.

"He's experiencing a far better adoption rate than the other subjects." The man is saying.

"I'm still pulling him out. He's been in there way too long."

"No, not yet! We're still so far from where we need to be!"

"We shouldn't risk it."

"What's another hour or two?"

"Why don't we discuss this in the conference room? Give Desmond a minute to stretch his legs."

"I—I really don't see the need."

"Warren, please." She's already walking.

He gives her a brisk "fine" then follows, leaving me alone sitting on the Animus. I hear a door open and close twice and know they've left the room. I refuse to sit idly by while they argue, so I go into my room and see if I can find a place to listen to what they're saying. When I get to the bathroom, I can sort of hear it, so I carefully hop up on the counter and put my ear to the wall. Hardly discreet, but it works.

"...there's a word for that," Warren is saying, "it's called insuboordination."

"And I don't appreciate you trying to kill him! There's a word for that too! I believe it's called stupid!"

"Lucy, this isn't my decision." I miss a little bit of the next bit and try pressing my ear closer. "...do you want to wind up like Linda?"

"I know the accident has everyone on edge—"

"Which is why there's no time to coddle him!"

"If you push him too hard, he'll shut down! And then we'll have nothing."

"We have nothing now!"

"But we _will. _We just need to have a little faith."

"Fine! But I want you to improve ways of his staying power, we can't afford to stop every time the man breaks a sweat. It's bad enough we have to dredge through all these...useless memories."

"I'll do what I can."

There's no more talking, so I hop off the counter and jog out of my room, not wanting to be caught eavesdropping. I lean on the wall as they come in, trying not to eye the open door too obviously.

"We're done for the day, Mr. Miles," Warren seems none too happy to tell me this. "I suggest you return to your room and get some rest." He takes the long way around to get to the other door, possibly just to avoid coming into physical contact with me. But Lucy stayed. Maybe I can get some answers from her.

I have a bunch of questions for her but when I approach, she startles me by speaking first. "So you're really an assasin? Like Altaïr?"

"Yes and no."

"What do you mean?"

"I was supposed to be one, but I ran away from the farm when I was sixteen."

"Farm?"

"Yeah, that's what they called the place where I grew up. The farm. Like Masyaf, I guess, only not so, uh...creepy. Just a small community in the middle of nowhere. 'Bout thirty of us living, y'no, off the grid."

"Why?"

"Thought my parents were just crazy hippies, trying to stick it to the man, y'no? My dad was always going on about our ancestors, our enemies, how they'd always be looking for us, that we'd have to be prepared. No one ever came. Nothing ever happened."

"Why'd you run away?"

"I could never leave the compound! You have any idea what it's like being trapped in a place, knowing there's a whole world out there I'd never get to see?"

"Don't you miss your parents?"

"No. As far as I'm concerned, they weren't my parents. They were my wardens, and I was their prisoner."

"It sounds like they only wanted to protect you."

"With all thats happened, ...I don't know." I shrug. "I guess they were right."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to drudge up the past."

"It's alright, gives me something to think about."

"Try to get some sleep. We got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

Ideally, I should listen to her, but I still have my questions. I watch her walk away for a couple seconds then follow her.

"Got a question for you before I turn in."

"Sure."

"How did they find me? I mean, I haven't been near another assassin in ten years."

"Use your real name?"

"No. Not before today."

"Credit card?"

"Cash only."

"Telephone?"

I scoff. "No one to call."

"Drivers liscence?"

"Motorcycle. Guilty pleasure."

She nods. "There's your answer. Photo; fingerprint."

"This is a drug company! What does ABSTERGO have to do with the DMV?"

"Desmond, these guys are everywhere. They—I—I'm sorry, I really can't talk about it."

I sigh and leave her alone for a few minutes. If they were that desperate, they must have wanted me bad. Only Altaïr must know where what they're looking for is. I try to talk to her again but all she says is "aren't you tired?"

I go to my room and the second I'm in the door shuts and locks behind me. Great. I go to what I think is the closet and try the door. It doesn't budge. I can't even change my clothes! This is ricidulous. I go into the bathroom and realize it's past ridiculous. It's creepy and disgusting. The shower glass can be seen straight through and the toilet is in complete sight. There's also a camera in each corner of the room, staring at both. I shudder, going back to my room and sitting on the bed. I'll be lucky if I sleep tonight.

* * *

I open my eyes to Warren staring at me. "Gotta say, that's a little creepy, Doc. Waking up to you standing over me. You been watching me sleep?"

"We're always watching you." He tells me tersely. "Now get up. We've got a lot of work to do."

"Ooh, wonder who I get to kill today." I watch his face for a reaction, but it doesn't change from that unimpressed scowl.

He points an accusing finger at me. "Don't be so cavalier. Your ancestors almost had the right idea, Mr. Miles. If the deaths of a few people, evil people no less, could save the lives of thousands more, well...it seems a small sacrifice."

"What do you mean 'almost'?"

"They didn't go far enough. To use a rather tired analogy, corruption is no different than cancer. Cut out the tumors but fail to treat the source and, well you're buying time at best. There's no true change to be had without comprehensive systemic invervention."

"Chemo for the masses."

"Education. Re-education, to be more precise. But it's not easy and it doesn't always take."

I'm pretty sure I know where he's going with it. "Let me guess. You've got a better solution."

He chuckles, something that leaves me with a weird feeling down my spine. "Now that would be telling."

'Yeah, that's kind of why I said that...' I sigh and follow him out of the room. Now that he's here there's no chance to talk to Lucy, so I have to go back into the Animus. I hop up and lay down, letting the screen come across my face again, absently wondering how many more times I'm going to have to do this.


	5. Chapter 4

"I am...alive..." I stare down at my hands in disbelief. I can not be alive, Al Mualim killed me. This is impossible. "But I saw you stab me...felt death's embrace..." We are back in his library, me on the Creed symbol, him behind his desk.

"You saw what I wanted you to see, and then you slept the sleep of the dead, of the womb, that you might awake and be reborn."

"To what end?"

"Do you remember what it is, Altaïr, that the assassins fight for?"

"Peace. In all things."

"Yes. In _all _things." He walks around the table, hands folded behind his back. "It is not enough to end the violence that one man commits upon the other, it refers to peace within, as well. You can not have one without the other."

"So it is said."

"So it _is!_ But you, my son, have not found inner peace. It manifests in ugly ways. You are arrogant and over-confident."

"Were you not the one to say 'nothing is true, everything is permitted'?"

"You do not understand the true meaning of the phrase, my child." He starts walking back. "It does not grant you the freedom to do as you wish, it is a knowledge meant to guide your senses. It expects a wisdom you _clearly _lack."

"Then what is to become of me?"

"I should kill you for the pain you brought upon us, Malik thinks it only fair: your life in exchange for his brothers. But this would be a waste of my time and your talents. You'll see you have been stripped of your possessions, your rank as well. You're a novice; a child once more, as you were when you first joined the ranks of our order.

"I am offering you a chance at redemption. You'll _earn _your way back into the Brotherhood."

"I assume you have something planned."

"First, you must prove to me you remember how to be an assassin."

In a silence that stretches too long, I realize I'm supposed to say something. "...so you'd have me take a life."

"No. Not yet, at least. For now, you are to become a student once again."

"There is no need for this!"

"I'll distract your targets for you, but no more. From today on you will track them yourself."

There is no point in arguing with him. Not if I want to keep my life. "If this is what you wish."

"It is."

"Then tell me what it is that I must do."

"We have been betrayed. Someone was assisting Robert de Sable. One of our own. You must find him and bring him here for questioning."

"What can you tell me of the traitor?"

"Ah, but that's just it. I've given you all I will. The rest is up to you."


End file.
